KCC partners with Mount Mercy for show choir

Show Choir is an Iowa tradition and while it is generally restricted to high school, Mount Mercy University started its own show choir team under the direction of Kent Keating.

The choir is currently made up of a group of students from several different colleges in the surrounding area, including Kirkwood Community College, as well as one high school student.

Kent Keating plays piano for Keoisha Richardson, center, and Will Kremenak, right, as they try out for a solo.
PHOTO BY JACK SOUKUP.

“I’m in the Show Choir. It’s great. Right now, we are looking for a few more girls to join,” said Austen Carnahan, a Liberal Arts major at Kirkwood.

As time goes on, the directors and facilitators will be making the choir more exclusive until it becomes solely a Mount Mercy University Show Choir, according to Keating.

When asked about the recruitment efforts, Keating explained, “The school has been remarkable as far as allowing us to award scholarships for it if you come to Mount Mercy and you don’t even have to be a music major or minor but you can still get thousands of dollars a year to perform in the ensemble.”

Currently the group has around 50 students from the area. Most of the students who have joined the group have previous high school show choir experience but anyone with an interest can contact Keating about joining.

Keating also pointed out how the administration at Mount Mercy has supported him and how well it was already doing for the school as a whole.

“Every high school in Cedar Rapids has a great show choir so they thought it was a wonderful idea to bring show choir to college,” said Keating.

As of yet, the group has not decided on an official name. While the choir does not have any shows scheduled this month, there are still several opportunities for performing.

Their debut performance is scheduled to take place at the Mount Mercy University Auditorium on May 4.